Martian Ingenuity helicopter was damaged: NASA declares mission complete

The mission of the Martian helicopter Ingenuity by the American aerospace agency NASA has come to its conclusion. The first-ever rotorcraft to fly in the atmosphere of another planet sustained damage to its blades during its final flight on January 18, 2024. In its statement published on January 25 on the official website, NASA announced that the vehicle "is no longer able to fly."

"The historic adventure of Ingenuity, the first flying apparatus on another planet, has come to its end. This remarkable helicopter soared higher and farther than we could have ever imagined, aiding NASA in turning the impossible into reality. Missions like Ingenuity enable NASA to pave the way for future space flights and better prepare for upcoming human explorations of Mars and other objects within the Solar System," commented NASA's Administrator Bill Nelson.

The Ingenuity helicopter was delivered to the surface of the Martian crater Jezero alongside the NASA Perseverance rover in February 2021. The primary task of the 1.8 kg rotorcraft was to demonstrate the feasibility of using such machines in the thin Martian atmosphere. It successfully demonstrated this during its first five flights in the spring of the same year.

Following this success, NASA decided to extend the Ingenuity mission and use the helicopter as a scout for the Perseverance rover, which arrived on the planet to search for signs of ancient Martian life and collect samples of Martian soil. During the extended mission, the helicopter completed an additional 67 flights, surpassing the expectations of scientists and engineers.

Although the main part of the Ingenuity mission was initially planned for only 30 days, the helicopter continued to operate on Mars for almost three years. In total, over 72 flights, it spent 129 minutes in the atmosphere of the Red Planet and covered a distance of 11 miles (17.7 km) above the surface.

Unfortunately, during its final flight on January 18, Ingenuity encountered issues. Just before landing, there was a "temporary loss of communication between Perseverance and the helicopter," according to NASA's statement. The Earth-based command center eventually managed to restore communication with the flying machine. However, photos received on January 18 revealed that one or more of its four blades "were damaged during the landing," as reported later by the aerospace agency.